British Railways Board
Encyclopedia
The British Railways Board (BRB) was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom
that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain
, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail
. It did not operate in Northern Ireland
, where railways were the responsibility of the Government of Northern Ireland
.
It was a statutory corporation
, consisting of a chairman and nine to fifteen other members, who were appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport
. http://www.ndad.nationalarchives.gov.uk/AH/37/detail.html
by Harold Macmillan
's Conservative
government to inherit the railway responsibilities of the British Transport Commission
, which was dissolved at the same time.
, London Midland
, Western
, Southern Region
, and the Scottish Region
, itself later rebranded ScotRail
. A North Eastern Region
also initially existed but was abolished in 1967, being merged into the Eastern Region.
In the 1980s, the BRB moved away from organising its operations on the regional model, and moved to organise on a sectoral model, based on business activity - InterCity
for long distance services, Network SouthEast
for commuter services in London
, and Regional Railways
for short distance and commuter services outside the Network SouthEast area. Railfreight
was organised separately.
As well as the British Rail network, the BRB for much of its history also ran passenger ferry services (as Sealink
) and hotels. These were sold off in the 1980s.
The final BRB structure, between 1994 and 1997, was essentially the shadow form of the future privatised railway industry, with the Board becoming a holding company to over 100 subsidiary companies, including 25 train operating subsidiaries, six freight subsidiaries, three rolling stock leasing companies, and a number of line maintenance companies. These were slowly sold off during privatisation (or, in the case of the passenger subsidiaries, franchised to private sector concerns).
, Railtrack
. It continue to operate all passenger railway services until 1996, when the process of transferring the services to the private sector began.
Privatisation was completed in 1997, but the BRB continued in existence to discharge residual functions relating to non-operational railway land and BR pensions, and to have responsibility for the British Transport Police
. In 1999 Sir Alistair Morton was appointed as last chairman of the BRB, which began to advise on passenger railway matters. During this time it operated together with the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising
under the trading name of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority.
Under the Transport Act 2000
the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) was abolished and its and BRB's functions transferred to the Strategic Rail Authority
. The functions which had been carried out by the BRB prior to the creation of the SRA were placed under the charge of a wholly owned subsidiary of the SRA, BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
Its ownership changed again with the dissolution of the SRA under the Railways Act 2005
and it is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the Secretary of State for Transport
. While the 2000 Act allowed for BRB to be abolished, this has not yet occurred.
Through its subsidiary, Rail Property Ltd, BRB (Residuary) retains responsibility for non-operational railway land, for example, railway lines closed in the Beeching Axe
that have not been sold.
The BRB owned a large amount of railway archive material, including papers, maps, films and photographs, dating back before nationalisation. At privatisation in 1997 these were distributed to other bodies: the films (the bulk of which had been produced by British Transport Films
) went to the British Film Institute
in London
, the photographs to the National Railway Museum
(NRM) in York
, and most of the papers to the Public Record Office
.
Railway Executive (the subsidiary of the BTC responsible for railways from 1948 to 1953)
British Railways Board
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. It did not operate in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, where railways were the responsibility of the Government of Northern Ireland
Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Executive Committee or the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland was the government of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Generally known as either the Cabinet or the Government, the Executive Committee existed from 1922 to 1972...
.
It was a statutory corporation
Statutory Corporation
A statutory corporation or public body is a corporation created by statute. While artificial legal personality is almost always the result of statutory intervention, a statutory corporation does not include corporations owned by shareholders whose legal personality derives from being registered...
, consisting of a chairman and nine to fifteen other members, who were appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
. http://www.ndad.nationalarchives.gov.uk/AH/37/detail.html
Formation
The BRB was created on 1 January 1963 under the Transport Act 1962Transport Act 1962
The Transport Act 1962 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Described as the "most momentous piece of legislation in the field of railway law to have been enacted since the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1854", it was passed by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government to dissolve the...
by Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
's Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government to inherit the railway responsibilities of the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
, which was dissolved at the same time.
Operations
The BRB initially, and for the majority of its history, operated under the structure inherited from the BTC Railway Executive. Operations were divided up into five regions - EasternEastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
, London Midland
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
, Western
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
, Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
, and the Scottish Region
Scottish Region of British Railways
The Scottish Region was one of the six regions created on British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway and ex-London and North Eastern Railway lines in Scotland...
, itself later rebranded ScotRail
ScotRail
ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....
. A North Eastern Region
North Eastern Region of British Railways
The North Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. It was merged with the Eastern Region in 1967. It was the near direct post-nationalisation descendant of the North Eastern Railway, that had merged with the LNER just over 20 years early....
also initially existed but was abolished in 1967, being merged into the Eastern Region.
In the 1980s, the BRB moved away from organising its operations on the regional model, and moved to organise on a sectoral model, based on business activity - InterCity
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
for long distance services, Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
for commuter services in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
for short distance and commuter services outside the Network SouthEast area. Railfreight
Railfreight
Railfreight was a sector of British Rail responsible for all freight operations on the British network. The division was created in 1982 when BR sought to assign particular stock and management to the evolving requirements of freight traffic...
was organised separately.
As well as the British Rail network, the BRB for much of its history also ran passenger ferry services (as Sealink
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland....
) and hotels. These were sold off in the 1980s.
The final BRB structure, between 1994 and 1997, was essentially the shadow form of the future privatised railway industry, with the Board becoming a holding company to over 100 subsidiary companies, including 25 train operating subsidiaries, six freight subsidiaries, three rolling stock leasing companies, and a number of line maintenance companies. These were slowly sold off during privatisation (or, in the case of the passenger subsidiaries, franchised to private sector concerns).
Winding down
On 1 April 1994 the BRB ceased to have responsibility for railway infrastructure, which became the responsibility of a (initially Government owned) public limited companyPublic limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
, Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
. It continue to operate all passenger railway services until 1996, when the process of transferring the services to the private sector began.
Privatisation was completed in 1997, but the BRB continued in existence to discharge residual functions relating to non-operational railway land and BR pensions, and to have responsibility for the British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
. In 1999 Sir Alistair Morton was appointed as last chairman of the BRB, which began to advise on passenger railway matters. During this time it operated together with the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising
Director of Passenger Rail Franchising
The Director of Passenger Rail Franchising is a statutory office created in 1993 by the Railways Act 1993 and usually called the Franchising Director...
under the trading name of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority.
Under the Transport Act 2000
Transport Act 2000
The Transport Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provided for a number of measures regarding transport in Great Britain, most notably, the first major change in the structure of the privatised railway system established under the Railways Act 1993...
the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) was abolished and its and BRB's functions transferred to the Strategic Rail Authority
Strategic Rail Authority
In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....
. The functions which had been carried out by the BRB prior to the creation of the SRA were placed under the charge of a wholly owned subsidiary of the SRA, BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
BRB Limited is the successor to the British Railways Board. It is a private company limited by shares, with 100% of the issued share capital owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.-Background:...
Its ownership changed again with the dissolution of the SRA under the Railways Act 2005
Railways Act 2005
The Railways Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning the regulatory structure for railways in the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
and it is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
. While the 2000 Act allowed for BRB to be abolished, this has not yet occurred.
Through its subsidiary, Rail Property Ltd, BRB (Residuary) retains responsibility for non-operational railway land, for example, railway lines closed in the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
that have not been sold.
The BRB owned a large amount of railway archive material, including papers, maps, films and photographs, dating back before nationalisation. At privatisation in 1997 these were distributed to other bodies: the films (the bulk of which had been produced by British Transport Films
British Transport Films
British Transport Films was an organisation set up in 1949 to make documentary films on the general subject of British transport. Its work included internal training films, travelogues , and "industrial films" promoting the progress of Britain's railway...
) went to the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the photographs to the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
(NRM) in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and most of the papers to the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
.
Chairmen
British Transport Commission- Sir Cyril Hurcomb (1948–1953)
- Sir Brian RobertsonBrian Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of OakridgeGeneral Brian Hubert Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge, GCB, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, DSO, MC , known as Sir Brian Robertson, 2nd Baronet, from 1933 to 1961, was a British Army General....
(1953–1961) - Dr Richard BeechingRichard BeechingRichard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
(1961–1963)
Railway Executive (the subsidiary of the BTC responsible for railways from 1948 to 1953)
- Sir Eustace Missenden (1948–1951)
- Sir John Elliot (1951–1953)
British Railways Board
- Dr Richard BeechingRichard BeechingRichard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
(1963–1965) - Sir Stanley Raymond (1965–1967)
- Sir Henry Johnson (1967–1971)
- Sir Richard MarshRichard Marsh, Baron MarshRichard William Marsh, Baron Marsh PC was an English politician and business executive.Marsh was educated at Woolwich Polytechnic and was elected as Labour Party Member of Parliament for Greenwich at the 1959 general election...
(1971–1976) - Sir Peter ParkerPeter Parker (British businessman)Sir Peter Parker KBE LVO was a British businessman, best known as chairman of the British Railways Board from 1976 to 1983.-Early life:...
(1976–1983) - Sir Robert Reid (1983–1990)
- Sir Bob Reid (1990–1995)
- John Welsby (1995–1999) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19950307/ai_n13969802
- Sir Alistair Morton (1999–2001).